


Jellyfish and Penguins and Tentacles, Oh My!

by LilyRosePotter



Series: Life smiles back at you [2]
Category: Crooked Media RPF
Genre: Gen, Kidfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2019-05-24 15:35:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14957324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilyRosePotter/pseuds/LilyRosePotter
Summary: “Uncle Dan! Look at this one, it’s glowing!”Dan takes his godchildren (and their dads) on a trip to the acquarium





	Jellyfish and Penguins and Tentacles, Oh My!

**Author's Note:**

> written for Dan Week Day 1: kidfic

“Jellyfish!” Declan yells pretty much the second they make their way inside the aquarium entrance. Dan is fiercely glad Tommy had insisted they buy tickets online when he looks at the lineup at the ticket counter and the parents with screaming kids in line.

Declan’s pulling on Dan’s arm, so he only vaguely registers Tommy and Jon’s conversation behind them until Tommy’s voice drops, teasing. “Look Jon they have a tentacles exhibit!” 

“Shush.” Jon sounds embarrassed and when Dan sneaks a glance over his shoulder he’s already flushing. 

“Daddy, I want to see the penguins,” Caroline whines. 

“We already talked about that Caro,” Tommy says patiently. They had, during the entire drive down to Monterey this morning. Dan is never going to get tired of watching Tommy applying diplomatic skills he learned in the sit room to six-year old twin negotiations. God they’re grown up. “We’re going to go to the penguin exhibit at the feeding time. That means that we’re going to go see some of the things Declan wants to see first. And you’re going to like them too, I promise.” 

“Okay,” Caro agrees, won over by having a plan. Tommy turns his attention back to teasing Jon. 

“We’ll have to make sure to go see the tentacles later,” Tommy says. Jon shakes his head emphatically. “They might have some good videos as part of the exhibit.” Jon’s face is super red for a joke that’s really pretty innocent and child proof. “Probably not as good as the ones on your computer though,” Tommy laughs.

“Tommy!” Jon yelps. Dan cracks up and then meets Tommy’s eyes which only sets both Dan and Tommy off on a fresh round of giggles while Jon looks around self-consciously. 

“Hey listen,” Dan says when he’s caught his breath again. “I don’t need to know what you two do in the bedroom.” 

Jon shoots him a dirty look. “Don’t you start.” 

“They just got new sheets for their bed!” Caro contributes. Jon covers his face with a hand to mask his laughter. 

“Yeah?” Dan asks her. “What kind?” 

“They’re Para- parachute,” she says carefully. “Blue linen. I don’t like them as much as the old ones they aren’t as soft.”

“They get softer with every wash,” Tommy deadpans in an artificial ad copy voice.

Declan tugs on Dan’s hand again, uncharacteristically demanding. “We’re going to see the jellyfish,” he insists.

“Yeah buddy we are,” Dan tells him, moving a little faster towards the steps. “Tell me about the jellyfish while we walk.”

“Egg-yolk jellies have passengers that ride through the ocean with them,” Declan recites. There’s a well worn book about jellyfish that’s made the journey with them. Dan heard all the jellyfish facts, with accompanying photo demonstrations in the car on the way down here, happily squished between the twins’ booster seats in the back of Tommy’s car, but Declan will repeat his knowledge ad infinitum and it’s adorable. “Marine biologists have found crabs, and jack fish, and am- amph-” 

“Amphipods,” Jon supplies from behind them. 

“Amphipods inside the bells of the egg yolk jellies and swimming in their tentacles,” Declan continues.  

“How big are egg yolk jellies?” Jon prompts. 

“The bell can be up to two feet long! And the tentacles can be twenty!” Tommy snickers behind them and there’s a soft _ouch_ as Jon smacks his shoulder. “Look look! There’s a comb jelly!” Declan yells, breaking free of Dan’s grip to run toward the tank. “Uncle Dan come look!” 

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Dan says, laughing. 

“Ooh, pretty!” Caro says delightedly from Tommy’s shoulders, penguin hunt laid to rest for the time being.

Declan’s whole face is pressed against the glass by the time the rest of them reach him. Dan pulls out his phone to take a picture of his face framed by the light. Jon leans over his shoulder to look at it. “Cute.” 

Before Dan can reply, Caro is calling him from the other side of the tank. “Uncle Dan! Look at this one, it’s glowing!” 

“Crystal jellies have more than a hundred light producing organs,” Declan tells her, without taking his eyes off the jellyfish in front of him. 

Caroline turns to roll her eyes pronouncedly at Dan. Just like her dads, she’s not particularly good at it, her whole head moving with the effort, but it’s sweet and sisterly. “But they’re _glowing_ ,” she stage whispers. “Can I take a picture?”

“Sure honey,” Dan hands over his phone and Caro beams at him. 

Dan’s sometimes unsure of his place in his beloved godchildren’s lives - he’s definitely not their fun uncle and living so far away means he doesn’t see them enough - but it’s hard to be nervous right now. He’d promised them this trip to the aquarium as a Christmas gift this past year after what was probably too much agonizing about gifts, partially because he knew they’d like it and partially to force Jon and Tommy to bring them up here for a couple days. They’re as enthused as he’d hoped they’d be and the time with them is so sweet. 

“I had a spelling test last week,” Caro tells Dan earnestly as she leads him towards the Open Sea tank a few minutes later. She’s moving through the exhibits quicker than Declan, who’s still staring at jellyfish.

“How did it go?” Dan asks. “I’m sure you’re still the superstar.”

Caro glows with the praise. Dan had picked up his phone a few weeks ago to a delighted Caroline who  _just had to_ tell him about her last spelling test. She was the only one in her first grade class who could spell “election.” Dan could _hear_ Tommy’s smile before his face appeared on the screen. Declan stole the phone shortly afterwards so he could show Dan the cactus he’s growing, utterly unconcerned with the spelling test that he’d presumably also taken.

“I am _advanced_ ,” Caro pronounces with great ceremony. “The teacher is going to make new lists just for me.”

“That’s amazing sweetie,” Dan says. God he’s so proud. “What have you been reading?”

“Daddy and I are reading _Anne of Green Gables_ at bedtime and I’m reading the fifth _Magic Treehouse_ book during reading time at school,” she says happily. “I like how they’re different stories and places but the same kids…” 

“She’ll go all day if you let her,” Tommy says quietly into Dan’s ear ten minutes later. Caro is still describing the plot of _Magic Treehouse_ with only limited prompting, talking about the clothes in each era the kids have visited.  

“That’s a good thing,” Dan replies softly, "loving to read."

“Yeah,” Tommy grins. “Yeah it is.”

“Look at that stingray!” Caroline calls and they turn their attention back to her and the tanks. 

Tommy is humming under his breath as they walk through the tunnel across the building for the long-awaited penguin feeding an hour later.

“What are you singing?” Dan asks.

“Noooo,” Jon complains, long suffering. “It’s the stupid _Lego Movie_ song.”

Dan raises his eyebrows. “That movie isn’t… new?” 

“Lovett pulled it out last week,” Tommy sighs. He looks pained as well. “We listened to the theme song at least fifty times on the drive up to San Francisco yesterday.” Dan winces sympathetically. 

“Don’t feel bad for him,” Jon says. He pitches his voice lower in a bad attempt at impersonating Tommy. “It’s fun Jon, it’s a positive song Jon! Why won’t you just give it a chance Jon?”

“Fifty times,” Tommy repeats. “Jon had noise cancelling headphones in by play two.”

“And it was a good choice,” Jon insists. “Dan, did you know that everything is awesome when you’re floating on some steam?” 

“When you’re living out a dream,” Tommy corrects. “Believe me, I know.” 

He starts humming the song again, a little louder. Jon gives Dan a disbelieving look and Dan laughs. 

“Everything is cool when you’re part of a team,” Caro’s singing now too. Apparently she and Declan still aren’t tired of- Wait. 

“Hey,” Dan says. “Did we lose one?” 

Jon spins around wildly. “Fuc- Shi- shoot. Tommy where’s Dec?” 

“I thought you had him?” Tommy says, voice rising a bit. 

“I thought you did!” Jon snaps. Then he takes a breath and says more calmly. “He’s probably just looking at the jellyfish still, he won’t have gone far, I’ll go find him.” 

“We’ll all-” Tommy starts. 

“Penguins,” Caro interrupts. “We can’t miss the penguins Daddy.” 

“Caroline, your brother is more important than the penguins,” Tommy says, face tight. Her face screws up, threatening tears. 

“I’ll go with Jon,” Dan says. “You two go see the penguins, we’ll find Dec and meet you.”

Tommy sighs, but Caro is tugging on his hand already, clearly on board with the plan. “Okay.”

“He’s staring at one of the tanks,” Jon repeats, when they’re out of Tommy’s earshot. “Little space cadet probably hasn’t realized we left him behind.” 

“He’s focused on the fish,” Dan says gently. Jon shakes his head ruefully. 

“God we’re terrible parents. I keep being convinced this is going to get easier and it’s all just different kinds of chaos.” 

“You’re great parents,” Dan tells him. Jon scoffs. “Hey, no, you are. Did I ever tell you about the time my mom lost me in the mall and drove all the way home before she noticed?” 

Jon laughs at that. “She did not.” 

“I was like… seven probably. And quiet enough that she thought I was in the backseat reading, it was Christmas time, she was stressed. And I was, just sitting on a bench outside a dressing room reading,” Dan says. 

“That’s-” Jon says. He breathes out a little of the tension. “You turned out okay I guess.”

“I did,” Dan confirms. “Hey look.” A familiar little blonde head is staring into the deep water of the ocean tank.

“Declan!” Jon calls. Dec looks confused why his dad is calling him but goes obediently placid when Jon picks him up. “You can’t just- you have to stay with us!” 

“I was looking at the turtles!”

“I’ll text Tommy,” Dan murmurs and Jon nods gratefully. 

“It’s time to see the penguins now,” Jon chastises as they walk. “You have to make sure you’re with a grown-up, honey. I’m sorry we left you behind.”

“Did you know that sea turtles lay a hundred eggs at a time?” Declan asks, unfazed by the drama. Jon sighs and shifts Declan to his hip. 

“Yeah Dec, we watched that documentary, remember?” 

“They have to run to the ocean!” Declan says. “They can breathe underwater for two hours!”

“They can stay underwater without coming up for air for two hours I think,” Dan tells him. Declan looks like he’s puzzling that through. “Turtles breathe air just like you, they just hold their breath a lot longer than you can hold yours in the pool.” 

“Oh!”

Tommy turns around when they come up behind him in the crowd around the penguins. Caro, hand held tightly in her dad’s, doesn’t spare a glance away from the penguins diving under the surface. “Oh thank goodness.” 

Declan squirms down to lean against the glass by Caro.

“That one is Elizabeth we think,” Caro says, pointing generally at the enclosure. 

“Which one?” Jon whispers. Tommy shrugs.

“She has a triangle spot on her stomach.” Caro is clutching the guide with the penguin’s names and descriptions that Tommy printed for her at home. “She was hatched at Knoxville Zoo in Tennessee.”

Tommy sighs and leans back against Jon’s chest, smiling tightly at Dan. “So the sea turtles huh? These kids are gonna be the death of me and they aren’t even making trouble, they’re learning facts about sea creatures.”

“They’re good eggs,” Dan says encouragingly. “They’re just kids. You guys are definitely going out tonight though, Howli and I can handle feeding them and bedtime.” 

Jon nods appreciatively. “Great, thank you.” 

Tommy looks like he’s going to object so Dan says again, “you know I want to spend more time with them. Really, I’m kicking you out of my house at six. Godparent only time.”

“Okay,” Tommy relents, smiling.  “The kids will love that.”

“Look he caught a fish!” Declan yells, pointing at a penguin.

Caroline shuffles her paper pointedly. “That’s Molopo, see the spots on her neck?” she says knowledgeably. “She’s named after a river in Africa.” 

Dan leans down to put a hand on Caro’s shoulder, “Tell me about that one,” he says, pointing.

Caro smiles up at him happily. “That's Boulders. He likes to carry things to his nest...”

 


End file.
